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Any Account Managers...
.../Salesmen, here in the forum? I've been working a new job for a few weeks and have to do alot of cold calling to drum up new customers. Would anyone who has experience like this be able to help out with some advice??? I can get past most gatekeepers (secretaries) but have a hard time "sealing the deal" per say. Do I need to be more pushy cause I hate dealing pushy salespeople and am trying not to become one.
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Comments
Always smile when you speak on the 'phone. You'll feel ludicrous, grinning like a big ape, but believe me, it comes across.
Be their friend. The person you are speaking to is the only one that matters - they are your most important and vital contact.
At that precise second, anyway.....
make them genuinely believe it.
Once you get to the closing question,
Ask it, then -
Shut up.
Say nothing.
Wait for them to break the silence.
The temptation to fill a quiet gap will be almost overwhelming, but resist.
It's a well-known fact that who breaks the silence, break the deal......
Don't be afraid to get a good friend to practise with.... and get them to try to trip you up. That way, you'll see where your 'weak point' is, and you can focus and work on it.
Good Luck!
Now - I know that this isn't probably a very high intensity sales job - but his demeanor and interaction with the people is very ... ... non-intrusive. He gives them all the facts, tells them what he would like to do and then leaves his card and lets them decide. He tries to find out more about the people and have a good conversation with them - talking about what they might want or need and then leaves it alone. He usually always gets calls back.
I think people like to be informed and then make a decision to buy with someone they feel is an asset to them - rather than someone shoving something down their throats.
But I know that all sales jobs aren't like that. In some arenas, you have to do a little pushing - and I would suck at that.
Good luck.
-bf
What type of product are you selling and who's your clientele?
We are a full service printing company. Not a copy shop, although we now have digital capabilities, we are more of a press. Our clientele is anyone who needs printing, hehe! Right now I am trying to drum up business by talking to local real estate agencies.
Ask whoever you're speaking to - without asking him to reveal names - whether they have ever had any dodgy print jobs, and get details... then assure him what measures you might implement as a company to prevent this from happening.... and would they please like to take your name for a competititve quotation, next time they need anything? Would they like a sample quotation now?
If, on the other hand, they insist they have never had any problems, congratulate them and tell them that obviously they may well be very satisfied with their current company, but maybe, with rising costs and tighter deadlines, they may lke to consider an alternative or back-up company? .... and would they please like to take your name for a competititve quotation, next time they need anything? Would they like a sample quotation now?
Remember: Open-ended questions, and - above all - don't take rebuttal personally.
I use to work for a company and had to field 'sales' calls quite often.... Now, I make them.... so I know both sides of the coin. It's NOTHING PERSONAL!
It's a bit out of vogue right now, but I find Dale Carnege's "How to Win Friends & Influence People" a brilliant work every sales person should live by. It echos exactly what Federica has suggested in previous posts.
Unlike the title of the book suggests, it is not about "influencing people" against their will but rather a very practical, very effective guide to getting along with all kinds of people. The principles are timeless and, if praticed diligently, will pay off because it provides an opening to building a relationship with the people you do business with. It's cheap, too! It's amazing that something written in the 1930s can be still so effective 70 years later...
Besides, we should all KNOW that Federica is the WO-MAN with the WO-PLAN! You go, girl!
When there's an obstacle ('Challenge' or 'opportunity' in sales-speak) there is always but always a way round it.....
And it's 'Wo-Man with the Go-Plan'.... I tend to make things move rather than rein them to a halt..... *snigger*
But thank you for the compliment! *cheesy, "gonna sell ya sump'n" sales-grin!*
A BIG THANKS to all the advice everyone has given here, I really appreciate it.
Good luck!!
-bf